General Information
Helping people appreciate what to expect as their illness advances can help them feel more comfortable and to stay in control of their care, especially if their health changes unexpectedly.
We’ve adapted and developed tools to streamline communication and provide frameworks for discussing a new diagnosis, progression of disease, uncertainty, and goals of care.
Our online modules explain how to use the tools and our workshops provide simulated opportunities to practice using them.
On-the-ground coaches at UHN are available in some specialties to provide observed feedback on using skills in practice.
Clinician Tools
Conversations about serious illness are often iterative and the path isn’t linear. Tools to help navigate them fall into three categories, Preparation, Conversation and Documentation. Click below to learn more about our tools and to download them.
Note: Tools marked with the UHN logo are specific to UHN only and may not be relevant to where you provide care.
Patient Preparation
The Patient and Family Guide helps prepare patients and their families to talk about topics that can help them stay in control as their illness evolves, including discussing hopes and worries if they get sicker.
Patient Documentation
The Epic myUHN Patient Planning Guide provides instructions for patients to upload their goals and wishes into their MyChart.
Coming soon!
Conversations
The Conversation Guide provides a framework for having goals of care conversations with seriously ill patients and their families.
The Communication Skills Guide provides discrete communication skills to ensure, clarity and empathy.
The Illness Journey Guide provides a visual aid for discussing how illness progression might impact time and function. Coming soon!
Click here for a sneak preview.
Go to Learning Opportunities to learn how to use these guides in your practice.
Clinician Preparation
The Preparation Guide explains how to review the patients’ most recent notes in Epic’s Advance Care Planning guide
Clinician Documentation
The Documentation Guide explains how to add new notes in Epic’s Advance Care Planning guide based on conversations with the patient and their family.
Patient and Family Guide
Click below to download a guide for your patients. It is designed to help them begin a conversation with someone they trust and to prepare them for conversations with their health care team about their future care. The Patient and Family Guide is intended for educational purposes only and does not replace medical advice. It was developed for use at the University Health Network and some parts may not be relevant to where you provide care.
Conversation Guide
Conversation Guide
français
Conversation Guide
Portuguese
português
Conversation Guide
español
Conversation Guide
中文
Power of Attorney for Personal Care
Each province has unique legislation. In Ontario, your patients can legally choose someone they trust, in advance, to make health care decisions for them if they become unable to do so for themselves. If they do not appoint someone in advance, then health care providers will follow a hierarchy to ensure someone will speak for them.
Click below to download the Government of Ontario’s Power of Attorney for Personal Care form.
Advance Care Planning
Click here to learn more about how your patients can prepare for their future care.